Cole Swindell Knew Luke Bryan Was a Star the First Time He Saw Him

While many people may be able to say that they knew Luke Bryan when, Cole Swindell had a truly special connection with the superstar early on.

It's not every day that someone like Bryan stops by your fraternity house to change his guitar strings and play a song, but that's exactly what Swindell got to witness several years ago when the "Move" singer was still playing bars near their alma mater, Georgia Southern University.

Swindell was attending school there when, one night, Bryan was playing a show with his band Neyami Road and stopped by the Sigma Chi frat house -- where he was once a member -- to say hey to the guys. He was asked to play a song he'd written...and it was that night that Swindell's musical aspirations were solidified.

"He played a song and I remember the way it made me feel, and I was like 'I have to be able to do that,'" Swindell reminisces, saying he became "infatuated" with songwriting.

From there, Swindell began to study albums and see who was writing the songs. And that eventually led to a move to Nashville, where he would lay his own path to stardom, penning hits such as "You Should Be Here," "Flatliner," "Middle of a Memory" and more.

However, he'll never forget the first time he saw Bryan perform and knew he was destined for greatness. "That night I remember seeing him play live and I was like, 'This guy's an unbelievable entertainer,'" Swindell says. "I was honestly like, 'Man he's a star,' the first time I saw him.'"

And now he can say he's written multiple songs for the star who helped him become one himself, including "Rollercoaster," "Beer in the Headlights" and "Out Like That."

"So Luke was a big influence on me wanting to write my own songs -- and to ultimately have songs recorded by him is a crazy story," he says.